The Board has denied a higher disability rating for low back strain and remanded the TDIU claim from March 16, 2010 to June 17, 2013. The decision on service connection is granted with a 20% rating.
The deciding factor: The evidence does not show forward flexion of the thoracolumbar spine that is 30 degrees or less and there is no ankylosis in the lumbar spine.
- Claimed conditions
- Low back strain
- How they argued it
- Direct service connection
- Exposure basis
- None
- Rating assigned
- 20%
- Decision date
- November 17, 2020
- Citation
- 20073472
What this means for you
A remand is not a loss. The Board sent the case back for more development — often a new exam or missing records — before making a final decision. Many remands later end in a grant, and the decision spells out exactly what the Board wanted to see.
What you can do next
Related decisions
Other Board decisions on a similar condition or argued the same way.
- Remanded (sent back)
The Board remands the claim for an increased rating for low back strain to correct a pre-decisional duty to assist error.
- Granted
The Veteran's service-connected disabilities, including the side effects of medication taken to treat his back disability, precluded substantially gainful employment consistent with his education and occupational experience.
- Denied
The Board denied the Veteran's claim for a rating in excess of 10 percent for his low back strain based on the evidence showing that the disability did not meet the criteria for a higher rating.
- Partly granted
The Board denied a rating in excess of 40 percent for low back strain and a rating in excess of 20 percent for left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve after April 26, 2024. However, it granted a 20 percent rating for the left lower extremity radiculopathy, sciatic nerve prior to that date and remanded the claim for service connection for an acquired psychiatric disability.
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